Canterbury Park Celebrates Gains at Close of 2013 Live Racing Season

The 2013 live racing season at Canterbury Park has seen gains in multiple areas, the Shakopee park announced in a news release.  

Attendance at the park has increased, compared to 2012 and import handle is up 36 percent. Import handle is the amount of money wagered on Canterbury’s races from sites outside the state.


“Racing at Canterbury is attracting the attention of horseplayers nationwide,” said Canterbury Park CEO Randy Sampson in the release. “As the quality of our racing product improves, wagering from the national audience increases.”

This season also marked the first time since 1991 that the 1,600 stalls at Canterbury Park were full of racehorses. Existing horse owners expanded their operations and new trainers were drawn to the track. 

According to the park, the agreement with Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community included an increase in purses over a 10-year period. That increase attracted new stables to Canterbury and state thoroughbred breeding grew by 170 percent.

The season, which ends on Saturday, has a total of 69 live racing days, the longest since 2006.

Related: Food Trucks, Indian Horse Relay: This Weekend at Canterbury Park